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CarComplaints.com Notes: What’s that smell – it’s a tad sweet with a tinge of chemical toxicity? If you own a 2011 Cruze it’s probably a coolant leak. It’s a widespread and notorious problem for the car and is the subject of a class-action lawsuit filed in the state of New York. And that’s not the only problem 2011 owners face…

Many say the 2011 model year suffers from a throttle lag that is probably due to a fauly electronic throttle control. The problem is signifigant enough that some owners say they are too scared to drive their cars. Those that do get behind the wheel often say their transmission isn’t shifting properly and problems start occuring as early as 15,000 miles.

All of this leads us to say you’re probably better off without this car’s headaches (they’re probably chemically-induced anyway).

10.0

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
49,700 miles
Total Complaints:
5 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (4 reports)
  2. fix accelerator wiring harness problem (1 reports)
2011 Chevrolet Cruze engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Chevrolet Cruze Owner Comments

problem #5

Jan 122017

Cruze LTZ 1.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This car is not worth your time. With good maintenance and care you will still likely have to pay $500-600 every few months beginning at a low milage. After 3 chevy dealerships working with the car and 1 breaking a part and not informing me or replacing it, the car gave out at a 110,000. The cost of repairs now exceed the cost of what you could sell the car for. I was driving the car on the freeway and could not accelerate, lost all power and thought the car was on fire the engine and exhaust was smoking very scary deal. Come to find out now the car most likely needs a new engine 8-10k. 1. This is not very economic with the use of material, having to replace an engine at 111,00. 2. This was very dangerous for me and other drivers 3.I can't trust if was the car or dealership that caused my car to be inoperable.

Really a sad situation and you can NOT trust that chevy dealerships are actually providing quality services to your car. They will tell you if you service at a GM dealership and anything major occurs GM will more likely cover it. That was not my case and I caught a dealership providing shady services announced and discovered by another dealership. I suggest you learn about cars this age and find some one you can trust to work on your car, a dealership may not actually be that trustworthy.

- Ashley T., Issaquah, US

problem #4

May 012016

Cruze LT 1.8L

  • Manual transmission
  • 105,633 miles

Good day. Thanks for accepting me in this forum. I am from South Africa. Bought the Cruze brand new in 2011. I have had problems with it ever since. First it was the clutch, then the thermostat, then the hand brake, then the water pump, all this before it had done it's second service. Now it's something much worse I think, because from May 2016, the car just looses power or speed while on the freeway, I nearly met with several accidents since this problem occurred. Went to the dealership where I purchased and was told that I need to change about 6 sensors on the car which will cost me about R40000 or 2500 USD. This is crazy to say the least. I haven't even completed paying the loan on the car yet and I'm spending so much for repairs. The resale on the car is not even 1/3 of the price I paid. Has anyone else had this problem with the sudden drop in power and what can I try to do to rectify this issue? Please help me. Thanks and God bless

- julianpillay, Durban, South Africa

problem #3

Feb 262015

Cruze LT 1.4L Ecotec Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,021 miles

I have had my Cruze for about two months and I am already having many of the issues I see on this page.. Most of them are not persistent and go away, such as, smell of burnt antifreeze, RPM drop at stop light, car violently shakes at a stop (only happened once), and one time I pulled onto the street, got up to 40 and the transmission locked up for a split second so hard I almost hit my head on the steering wheel...

I do not drive this car hard, I just got it and I take extremely good care of it. Coming from having a motorcycle as my only source of transportation for 2 years, getting this car was one of the best days of my life. But now I see all these people having issues that I have seen personally, and I'm wondering what I should do.

The main problem is the motor is acting sluggish and between 2000 and 2500 RPM the engine sputters and feels like its going to shut off. After 2500 RPM, runs fine. I only have one year left on the warranty and I'm afraid that its going to have a major breakdown after the warranty is up.

I am taking the car in first thing tomorrow. will keep you posted.

Update from Mar 12, 2015: and also I bought it from a Chevy dealership and when I took it home I found out it had two recalls on it (short version of the horrible experience I had with the dealership). Why didn't they just replace the recall parts while they had it?

- jdst187, Tulsa, OK, US

problem #2

Jun 162011

Cruze LT 1.4L Trubo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,000 miles

I was trying to pull out into an intersection from a stop. When I stepped on the gas pedal, the car did not accelerate. I thought the car had died, so I turned it off and restarted it and it drove fine. This problem is intermittent. It is continually getting worse. So much so that the dealership called GM and they sent 2 guys to look at it. Not sure if it is fixed yet as the car is STILL at the dealership. The check engine light has never come on when this has happened. I love my car but something's gotta give. All I want is for my car to be fixed. But this is getting to be a safety issue. I'm about to my breaking point!!!!!

Update from Jun 23, 2012: 6/23/2012 The dealership replaced the ECM (main computer) All was going well for 3 days. The car drives better than it has the entire time we've owned it, until my husband was driving it through city traffic. He was at a stoplight (RED). When he went to accelerate, the car coasted through the intersection. The stability track light and 2 others came on. He's not sure what the other 2 lights are as he was more concerned with his safety and avoiding an accident. Also the dash display showed "stability control" (never happened before). This time the car began jerking (which is a new occurrence) and it also chimed (also new). I called GM customer service as I am to my breaking point with this car. It is a major safety issue and someone is going to get injured or killed. If GM doesn't do something soon, then my next step is the NTSB!!

Update from Jul 12, 2012: 7/12/2012 My Cruze remains in the dealership. GM generously (sarcasm) did make one payment since my vehicle has been in the shop since May 21, 2012. On Monday 7/9/2012 a tech from GM showed up again and still couldn't diagnose what was causing the problem. This time, the car was at an idle when it powered down, lights came on and the infamous chime began. Never has done this before. The tech from GM ended up breaking a connector on the wiring harness and has ordered a new one.

I called and spoke with the GM "Regional Specialist" who is handling my complaints and gave her an update. (oh I forgot to mention that the second transmission that has been put in the car is leaking). I told her I was done with the car and all the problems I have had with it. I told her I don't want the car anymore, that it is a safety issue and going to get someone killed. She said that she, her GM guy, and the service manager at the dealership were all on the same page about getting me out of that car since it has had so many problems. She said that it's just a formality of having a conference call between she, her GM guy and the service manager.

Well, today my husband informs me (he works at the dealership) that the GM guy has now decided that they are going to replace the wiring harness and if the "problems" reoccurs within 200 miles, then he will sign off on GM taking the care back. But if it doesn't reoccur, then we get the car. Well, I'm not risking my life driving the car for 200 miles to see if the issue is still present. I'll trade the piece of s*** in on a FORD!!!

- Kathy T., Walnut Hill, IL, US

problem #1

Jun 022011

Cruze LT 4 cyl Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 11,630 miles

Same old problem with Cruze; alarms, ses lights, message of reduced power; DUH! Where did we see and hear that before? Did Chevrolet spice up my life as I drive around the country by selling me a car with repeating performances of accelerator problems...I thought we bought a Chevy, not a toyota !!! OK, so we get the car fixed again by repairing the accelerator harness. Mind you, I said repair, not replace; probably twisted wire & duct tape! This dealership in Camdenton, MO didn't know how to solve the problem either! Read on...the saga continues and gets closer and closer to: "GM! COME TO GET THIS UNRELIABLE CAR WE ARE FED UP WITH FAILING SYSTEMS AND INEPT SERVICE DEPARTMENTS !!!"

- Bert H., Laurie, MO, US

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